More Articles

By Timothy WilliamsTHE NEW YORK TIMES • Friday September 28, 2012 6:16 AM

The former deputy commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, a decorated veteran of three wars
dating to the Persian Gulf war, has been charged with forcible sodomy, wrongful sexual conduct and
other violations of military law, the Army said.

The charges are against Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sinclair, who had been responsible for logistics
and support for the 82nd Airborne in Afghanistan. He was removed from his post in May and sent back
to Fort Bragg, N.C., where the unit is based.

For the Army to file such serious charges against a general officer is rare — and the move to
prosecute Sinclair comes as it and other branches of the military have been accused of doing too
little to prevent female troops from being sexually assaulted in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sinclair, who has been in the Army for 27 years, served two combat tours in Iraq and was on his
third deployment to Afghanistan, according to his military biography. He also had been deployed
during Operation Desert Storm.

On Wednesday, Col. Kevin Arata, an Army spokesman, read a brief statement to reporters at Fort
Bragg, saying that in addition to the forcible sodomy and sexual misconduct charges, Sinclair also
had been charged with violating an order, engaging in inappropriate relationships, misusing a
government travel charge card, and violating general orders by possessing alcohol and pornography
while deployed.

The military declined to provide an explanation for the charges, but engaging in an
inappropriate relationship typically means conducting an extramarital affair.

Arata said Sinclair also had been charged with mistreating subordinates and filing fraudulent
claims, as well as of conduct unbecoming an officer and conduct prejudicial to good order and
discipline.